Public broadcaster TRT devotes 32 hours to the AKP but only 25 minutes to the CHP in 40 days

Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) members İlhan Taşçı and Tuncay Keser exposed TRT Haber's biased broadcasting policy regarding the election period initiated by the Supreme Election Council (YSK) on January 1, 2024.

According to the examination covering the 40-day broadcast from January 1 to February 10, TRT Haber allocated over 1945 minutes (more than 32 hours) to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP), while dedicating only 25 minutes to Özgür Özel and the Republican People's Party (CHP).

In the 24-hour broadcast on February 6, TRT Haber provided 6 hours and 42 minutes to Erdoğan and the AKP, 38 minutes to Devlet Bahçeli and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and 1 minute and 23 seconds to Meral Akşener and the İYİ Party. However, there was no coverage given to Özgür Özel and the CHP.

İlhan Taşcı referred to these figures as "TRT's shameful display funded by the people's taxes," while Tuncay Keser remarked, "A warning report card for press history... In TRT Haber's 24-hour broadcast, Erdoğan and Bahçeli were featured for 7 hours and 20 minutes, while Özgür Özel and the CHP were not seen for even a second. Once again, the TRT management has failed in journalism... TRT management is committing a crime against the people with the people's money."

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey Representative and BİA Media Monitoring Rapporteur Erol Önderoğlu also commented on the figures, stating, "TRT's blatant bias has no relevance to press freedom, ethical public broadcasting, or equal distance to citizens. This alarming and unacceptable discriminatory policy, repeated after general elections, is also indicative of an imposition of thought on society." (HA/PE)